It was the day before Christmas and seven-year-old Tony was very annoyed. “Mum, why does it have to happen this way with me always?” he asked his mother stomping around the room. Roy and Rachel, his elder siblings, were always the lucky ones to have all the fun.

Do you know why Tony was so upset? That night his siblings were going out with their neighborhood friends on a sleigh ride. Tony wanted to go too – but his parents did not let him. Why? Cause he was their “little kid”. “When will I no longer be “too little” for things I really want to do?” he wondered.

“Mum, please tell me when will I be big enough.” Mrs. Gomes smiled. “Tony, next year you’ll be big enough to go. But now sweetie pie, it’s time for bed,” she said.

A dejected Tony went up to the room he shared with baby Tiara. “I am much bigger than Tiara. Why do Roy and Rachel always do things together, while I get stuck with the baby?” he complained.

All his mum did was just hug Tony tight. “One day you’ll be big. I promise you that,” she said. Then she tucked her babies under their blankets and kissed them goodnight.

Tony had just closed his eyes when he heard a jingling noise outside. He ran and looked out of the window just in time to see Roy and Rachel climbing into a pretty sleigh. A beautiful horse was pulling it. The sleigh was full of laughing boys and girls dressed in their best clothes and heavy scarves. And as the sleigh pulled away from the house, Tony could hear everyone sing Jingle Bells with joy. Poor Tony watched the excited boys and girls ride away and felt all the more miserable. Quietly, he went back to his bed.

The next day was Christmas Eve. Papa called Roy and Rachel, “Am sure you people had loads of fun last night. Now, we need to go to the market in the city and buy our Christmas tree.”

“Yipee! Daddy I’ll come, too!” shouted Tony.

“No, you need to stay here with your mother and little sister,” said Mr. Gomes, “Next year you’ll be big enough to help.”

Tony was so disappointed that he could not help his tears. Mrs. Gomes decided to do something.

What? She and Tony made long strings of red cherries and streamers for decorations. Little Tiara watched them. She tried to grab the cherries with her tiny hands, which amused her elder brother Tony to no end. And for Tony, well, it wasn’t such a bad morning after all.

Tony’s father and siblings returned before lunch, half covered with snow. They dragged in a huge tree. “We can decorate the tree post lunch,” said Papa. The whole family gathered in the big hall to put colored balls, angels, toys, streamers and tinsel on the tree.

Then Tony said, “Roy and Rachel, please see what mum and I made this morning.” And proudly, he took out his strings of cherries and the streamers. They were indeed very pretty and Tony was praised a lot. Roy lifted Tony and helped him hang them from the tallest branches. Tony was exhilarated. He was sure that his decorations were the best of all.

That night, all three of the Gomes’ kids hung their stockings by the fireplace. They also put up a little red-and-white-striped one for baby Tiara as she was too small to do it herself. “Now it’s off to bed for Tony and the baby,” mama announced, “So early?” said Tony. He wanted to beg to be allowed to stay up a little longer. But for once, he didn’t. Why? Because, the next day was Christmas and he could do anything he wanted!

Tony had barely closed his eyes when daddy and mum came into the room. How could it be time to get up already? “Sweethearts don’t go to sleep yet,” daddy told Tony and Tiara. “Your mum, Roy, Rachel and I have a huge surprise for you!”

Mum and Daddy carried the two little ones, all wrapped in their warm blankets, to the door of their house. And guess what the surprise was? Well, there was a beautiful red sleigh just in front of the house! It was decorated with bells and streamers. Without wasting any time, the whole family got into the sleigh. And as they slowly started to glide across the snow, the bells tinkled.

Tony had received the ultimate Christmas gift – a ride in the beautiful sleigh.

Soon they were speeding along to the jingling bells. And Tony felt, they were flying! As they rode, everyone began to sing:

Jingle bells! Jingle bells!

Jingle all the way!

Oh, what fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh!

After a while it was time to return home. The swaying of the sleigh made it hard for Tony to keep his eyes open. He leaned his head against his father’s big shoulder. He smiled up at everyone and said, “This is the best Christmas surprise I’ve ever had!”

Back home, as Tony’s eyes slowly shut in sleep, he hummed to himself, “Jingle all the way…”